The Ernakulam District and Sessions Court on Monday sent Anoop, an alleged Maoist operative from Kerala who was arrested from Coimbatore, to police custody till July 1.
Considering a petition by the police, sessions judge S. Jagadees directed that Anoop should not be subjected to any harassment either physically or mentally. Further, the court also directed the police to permit the presence of the accused’s counsel, Vincent Joseph, at the time of interrogation on all days between 3 and 4 p.m.
Anoop, a native of Pathanamthitta district, was brought to Kochi following a production warrant in connection with an attack on the corporate office of Nitta Gelatine India Ltd in Kochi. The warrant was issued on the basis of a request by Bijo Alexander, assistant commissioner of police, Thrikkakara, who is heading the investigation in the case.
He was brought to Kochi around 11 a.m. from the Coimbatore Central Jail by road and a large posse of policemen were deployed in the court premises.
The role of Anoop, who had taken part in the attack along with eight others, came to light while interrogating Ramanan, who was arrested from Kollam. Based on his statements, the police arraigned Ramanan and Anoop as the third and fourth accused respectively.
Anoop was arrested by the Tamil Nadu Q branch on May 4 and is currently lodged in the Coimbatore Central Jail.
The case pertains to the ransacking of the Nitta Gelatine office at Panampalli Nagar, SBT Avenue Road, on November 11, 2014.
